Storms and Umbrellas
by Crazyeight
Summary: A surprise visit to her home leaves Rika with a horrible fear about her potential future. As she comes to grips with her shaken world, she comes across a friend who unknowingly helps her through her storm with his gesture of friendship.


Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

Storms and Umbrellas

A Digimon Tamers story by: Crazyeight

The clouds piled upward like mountains, as if stockpiling thunder and lightning. The sky had been threatening storms for some days now, and as a result the air had a hot, sticky sense of anticipation that left Rika Nonaka annoyed, wishing that nature would hurry up and get it over with rather than leave her hanging. Though the fan seated next to her provided her with much needed relief, it also left her stuck around the home and growing increasingly restless. Turning the page of her book – a gift from her friend Jeri – she adjusted her seating and glanced up at the figure sitting across from her. Fox-like with golden fur, holding a book of her own between her three, thick claws and showing not so much as a single sign that the sweltering heat bothered her in spite of her thick, shining coat.

Sensing her gaze, the fox-creature – a digital life form known as Renamon – gave a light laugh.

"Something on your mind, Rika?"

"Only the stupid weather," she grumbled, lowering her book and leaning forward so that her back, almost completely bare from the halter top she had reluctantly thrown on to help combat the heat, could catch the fan's breeze. She closed her eyes, losing herself in a moment of pleasure as her skin cooled and dried. "Stupid humidity. I'm starting to think you and I should biomerge. All this sweating is really starting to bug me."

"Not a very responsible use of our Mega level form," Renamon observed with amusement, turning a page.

"Who asked you if it was responsible or not?" Rika snapped. "I'm tired of feeling like I'm walking in air made of soup!"

Cocking an eyebrow, Renamon lowered her book and looked at the irate girl. Feeling like a sudden heel for how she behaved, Rika averted her eyes.

"Sorry. Forget I said anything. We'd probably still somehow end up sweating under that leather outfit anyway."

"Perhaps," Renamon chuckled, not in the least bit fazed by the girl's temper. "Rika, I know that you don't like the air conditioner, but why don't I turn it on for you? Surely it's better than sitting here and feeling miserable."

At that, Rika wrapped her bare arms around each other, a shiver passing through her. Unbidden, a memory of icy cold and an equally chill laugh came to mind. Sensing this through the mental link they shared, Renamon's eyes softened.

"Or perhaps not…"

"No…" Rika sighed and pushed herself off the floor. "I really should be biting the bullet on this one. I'm a Tamer and I'm acting like a kid. I shouldn't be letting a few bad memories mess with me like this. And like you said, it's not a very responsible of our Mega form."

_Stupid IceDevimon… _Rika thought with irritation on events five years past as she went over to the air conditioning and flicked it on. Ice-cool air at once washed over her, bathing her with relief that would only last until the cold became too much like an ice storm. She felt Renamon's concern through their connection, she sent back a feeling of warmth and relief to put her at ease. Renamon, like all her friends, human and digimon alike, often worried about her in spite of her desire for the opposite to be the case.

"After all," she continued, more to herself than to her partner. "A Tamer never walks away from danger."

"I wasn't aware that air conditioners could count as dangerous," Renamon jested, her smile returning as she sought to lighten the mood for her partner. Rika _harrumphed _in response, not wanting to be drawn in willingly to the brighter atmosphere.

"They _would _be if they digivolved and froze Kazu's mouth shut." Rika scowled, turning down the air conditioning to something that she hoped would be tolerable or at the very least barely noticeable. "But that's what happens when we have goggleheaded luck instead of good luck." Making her way back toward the porch where Renamon sat, she set herself back down and took up her book. "I guess I can't complain. It could be worse. At least things are interesting, even if they are a pain."

Renamon opened her mouth to say something in response when her ears twitched, having caught the sound of the gate to Rika's home being opened. Seeing this, Rika raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, Renamon?"

"Someone's here," the vulpine digimon replied, rising to her feet. "And _not _anyone we know." Her ears twitched again. "Your mother doesn't sound happy. In fact, she sounds…_angry."_

_That _got Rika's attention, and just like that she was on her feet. While her mother was fairly easy to upset, making her _angry _was something of a tall order that few managed. Rika felt a flash of anger at that, and at once she raced out of her room, fists clenched tightly together while Renamon disappeared from view, following after her. It didn't take long for Rika to hear her mother's voice. This was no annoyed tone, like she would use with her whenever she stayed out too late as a kid or acted rebellious. While her mother had the tendency to sugarcoat her words, she knew the woman well enough to recognize the undercoating of _acidic bile _that she would throw in to make it known that she was displeased.

_She's not trying to be subtle this time,_ she noted, picking up her pace as her alarm rose. _She's _really _mad!_

_ "No, I don't care. I told you before _years _ago that this wouldn't happen, and I'm telling you again _now! _There will be no…"_

"What's going on out here?!"

Rika shot out from around the corner, her breath coming out harshly as anger coursed through her, violet eyes seeking out the source of her mother's lividness. Standing across from her was an elderly man with a balding head, thickly set and wearing a dark suit. Standing next to him was a woman of similar proportions, but slightly thinner and younger, with dark hair and wearing very business-like attire and rimmed, dagger-like glasses. Standing beside her was a boy that looked to be about her age with dark hair, grey eyes and clean, sharp features. He too wore a suit and looked as though he would rather be anywhere else but here.

The woman _tsked _at seeing Rika, but presently said nothing more. Rika ignored her.

"Ah, young Ms. Nonaka, it is good to see you," the older man said, bowing politely. Rika grimaced.

"Don't even _try_ to butter me up," she warned, much to the elderly man's surprise, while the boy grinned noticeably. "You made my mom mad. What's going on?" She looked over at her mother, who simply shook her head in disgust.

"Maybe they should hear your answer instead of me giving it in your place," she said. "Rika, this is Akihito Hata. He's… Well, he's your grandmother's brother."

Rika blinked in surprise at that. It was rare…_very _rare that any members of her extended family came out here, and when she did see any none of them involved someone using the Hata family name and tended to be her mother's age or younger. Rika narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the man. Family or not, the fact that he earned her mother's ire did not score him any points as far as she was concerned.

"So…what? Are you here to write a book about me or something?"

"Young lady," the woman snapped suddenly. "Show your elder some respect!"

"I'll give it when and _if _he earns it," Rika replied, planting her hands on her hips. "Now what's going on?"

"They're looking to marry me off," the boy said with an exasperated roll of his eyes. "Sorry," he said, shrugging his shoulders as the woman's eyes went wide with shock at his breaking into the conversation. "I figured that we might as well stop beating around the bush. Anyway, my mom here has been putting me through marriage interviews. Your family came up on the list. Once she heard that you were still unmarried, she began pulling every string she could to get us to see you, but your mother kept hanging up on us so Mr. Hata decided to escort us down here in person." He gave Rika a sympathetic smile and a shrug as she stood there, eyes growing wide with shock and rising anger.

"If it makes you feel any better," he said, "I think this is pretty stupid too."

_"Taichi!" _the woman scolded, to which the boy laughed and shrugged again.

Rika stood there for a moment, her whole body shaking as she fought to find the words that would best express how she felt. Her lips parted, and small, choking sounds came out, though surprise all but strangling her.

_Takato… _

That name, and the face accompanying it, echoed in the corners of her heart with a silver lightning bolt of panic, and with it, herself, her family, and everything and everyone she loved flashed through her mind, things that felt to her were being taken from her. Just like that, words tumbled out like boulders.

"Are…you…_kidding me?!" _

It wasn't the most elegant nor her best expression of anger. Presently, her heart was a snarl of all different kinds of emotions, shock not the least among them, and they came out haphazardly. This… Of all the things she expected to happen in her life, _this _was by far the _last _thing to pop up and blindside her from out of nowhere. Marriage? _Marriage?!_

Akihito sighed despondently, as though he had expected this.

"Rumiko, if you had agreed to an _arranged _marriage for your daughter like we discussed at her birth, we wouldn't…"

"Wait, _what?" _Rika's eyes whirled about toward Akihito and her mother, who had her arms folded together unhappily. _"Arranged marriage?! _Mom…! Tell me you didn't…!"

"I refused to let that happen," Rumiko hastily explained. "My family and I… We disagreed a _lot _on this when you were born."

"But she would have gotten to know her fiancé sooner without all this trou…" Akihito began, only for Rika to suddenly hit the wooden beam of her home with her fist. Pain burst across her knuckles and made her fingers suddenly go limp. She felt dizzy and sick all of a sudden, but she stayed upright, glaring venomously at her home's intruders. Of all of them, Taichi continued to wear a grin.

"No," she declared. Akihito frowned, looking troubled, and Taichi's mother stepped forward.

"I'm sorry if you are already in a relationship, but you should understand the duty you have toward your family. I heard that you're a Tamer to a digimon and you help protect this city. You understand obligation…"

"I said _no," _she declared firmly, strength returning to her fingers. Balling her hand back up into a tight fist, she schooled her face to icy stillness. "I don't care what made you think this was a good idea, but my answer is no. I'm not playing along with this and you can't make me."

That should have been enough. It wasn't. But then, Rika knew it wouldn't be. With people like this, it rarely was.

"Young miss," the woman resumed, her tone becoming increasingly irritated, as though she were dealing with an unruly child, "our two families are _very _important and you simply cannot ignore that no matter _what _your mother has done in the past or whatever silly thoughts she has filled your head with…"

"My mother is her own thing just like I'm my own thing," Rika interrupted icily. "I'm not letting you walk all over me. I don't want any part of this, _understand? _And you leave my mom _out of this!"_

The woman's face twisted up into an angry snarl. "You can't just refuse…"

"You think I can't? Watch me."

She turned to storm off, barely hearing the woman's words now, not that it mattered. The crimson haze that settled over her eyes was like a fog on her mind. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this angry. No _wonder _why her mother was so mad. She knew. She _knew _and by the sounds of it they had been trying to set this up for some time, ignoring her every time she told them no just like she was doing _now! _Why? Because of family? Family that barely ever saw her _or _her mother and grandmother?

After this, they would have no reason to see her any longer.

_Fine then. See what I_ _care. As long as Ms. Marriage Interview got the message…_

The woman turned toward her mother just then, and suddenly her words snapped into crystal clarity.

"…with an outfit like that, I should have known that she'd have turned into a slut just like you!"

For an instant, Rika knew nothing but bright red rage, and when that second ended, Rika found herself grunting, her fist pushing flutily against Renamon's grasp, having teleported right next to her in the time she began swinging. Taichi's eyes were wide with amazement while his mother looked deathly pale. Eyes of icy blue cast out over the three humans and Renamon spoke, her voice hard and unforgiving.

"It's time for you to go. Leave. _Now."_

"About time someone said something sensible," Taichi laughed shakily, taking hold of his mother's arm and steering her in the direction of the gate. Akihito, whose eyes were fixated on Renamon, jerked back to attention at their movement and staggered after them. No more words were said and Renamon released Rika's arm. Approaching, Rumiko wrapped her arms around her wayward daughter and pulled her into a gentle hug. Clenching her eyes shut, Rika returned it tightly, hot tears stinging at the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, Mom…"

"I'm sorry, Rika," Rumiko said in a hushed voice. "I was sure that they weren't going to try doing something like this. Not after…" Drawing back, she brushed a hand against Rika's cheek and smiled at her with pride. "Well… It doesn't matter anymore. Your grandmother and I will see to that. Rika… Rika, are you all right?"

Rika nodded numbly and Rumiko pulled her into another hug. Within her arms, the woman felt Rika's trembling, and she tightened her grip around her.

"Oh, Rika… If you want to talk…" she offered, but she trailed off, already knowing what Rika's response would be. Burying her face into her mother's shoulder, Rika again squeezed her back, not answering.

**###**

Rika sat once more on the porch, her book by her side, unopened. She hadn't spoken since her potential 'suitor' and his entourage had left some twenty minutes ago, instead listening to the sound of the birds as they chirped and sang and the still angry beating of her heart. Her fingers flexed, aching somewhat as a bruise rose up on her knuckles, angry and swollen, but, fortunately, it wasn't a terrible injury. She poked at it with her nails and winced.

"Rika." The kitsune appeared before her, holding out an icepack, and this time Rika accepted it with a nod.

"Thanks, Renamon," she said quietly, pressing the icepack against her hand. A sharp chill ran through her fist and up her arm, causing her to shudder.

"You're most welcome," the vixen replied. A pall of silence fell between them before Rika finally broke it.

"Some people are just _so _stupid."

"So you have often said," Renamon nodded. Adjusting her seating, Rika drew her hand closer to her.

"I just…don't get it."

"Don't get what, Rika?"

"Just…what happened. People like my grandma's brother… They threw my mom out of the family because of me, and now all of a sudden, they show up wanting _me _because of some stupid kid they wanted to marry off? They didn't even care about how _I _might have felt either. They just saw me as a Tamer and must have thought that I'd be…_useful _to them or something."

Rika's bruised hand curled up angrily into a fist.

"My friends don't treat me like that," she said under her breath, her voice tight with dark emotion. "They're more _family _than most of my family. They… They…"

Rika's breath hitched and Renamon sat down next to her, placing a paw on the girl's shoulder. Wiping her unbruised hand across her eyes, she scrunched her face up into a fierce, determined expression.

"Sorry," she said, earning her a raised eyebrow.

"For what?"

"For…you seeing the bad side of families."

Renamon gave a soft laugh, her tail brushing about her like an offered blanket.

"Digimon don't have families," she reminded. "When I met you, it was a new concept."

"And it was a downhill experience as I recall," Rika snorted.

"Well… I wouldn't go that far." Renamon smiled at her. "You were dealing with certain difficulties when we met, and you were _much _younger back then. We were a lot alike, but we both learned and changed. When I had been made to return briefly to the digital world, you sent me a message. Do you remember what you called me then?"

"I called you a _lot _of things," Rika said evasively. "I called you awful because you said that we'd see each other again when we didn't know…" She tightened her grasp around her icepack at the memory. "…if we even could."

Even now, after all these years…even with Renamon by her side once more, the day she recorded that message still hurt to remember.

"Rika…"

"All right…" The girl rolled her eyes. "Fine. I also called you the 'big sister I never had.'" She fixed Renamon with a hard, not quite unforgiving look for being made to say something she considered 'sappy.'

"It seems that a lesson could be learned there," Renamon chuckled at her partner's stubbornness. Rika thought about that for a minute before nodding.

"Yeah," she said softly before getting up. Making her way quietly down the hall, she stepped into the kitchen and placed the icepack back into the freezer. Her mother stood at the counter, pouring herself a glass of wine, watching her with concern.

"I'm going to head out for a while," Rika said absently, offering Rumiko a comforting smile. The light-haired woman pressed her lips together tightly, but nodded.

"All right," she said. "But don't stay out too late tonight, okay? The weatherman says there's a storm coming."

_There's been a storm coming for days now,_ Rika sighed mentally, but she chose not to say that out loud. Instead, she smiled at her mother and said, "I promise."

With that, she hit the streets and took off.

**###**

She didn't set off with any particular destination in mind, but she made her way through Shinjuku Park, a place that was at least familiar and comforting. Thinking back, many of her best memories in recent years had been made here and even with high school cutting more and more into her time, she still found herself occasions to visit its green-filled paths, hunting for friends she knew would be found there; hunting for two friends in particular who found their way into her heart when she had been at her worst and, for one of them in particular, would have had every reason to steer clear of her.

_Funny how things work out, _she thought, pausing at a set of steps that led up a brush-grown hill and toward a concrete bunker she knew lay hidden deep within. The old 'secret hideout' of the Digimon Tamers and the former home of the partner digimon, Guilmon. Her thoughts brushed briefly on the memory of her friendship with Guilmon's partner, and a small smile touched the corners of her lips, wondering if he was up there, as he often tended to when he had the chance. Her heart paused in its beat, wondering if she should check and see before finally deciding. She was just about to start climbing when she paused, hearing voices coming from off to the side.

_"Rika…" _came the voice of Renamon through their shared mental link. _"Takato and Henry are nearby."_

_ And their partners too, no doubt, _Rika thought, that small smile on her lips growing as she retracted her foot from the step. _"Terrific. Where are they?"_

Renamon gave her some quick directions, and following them, she quickly found the backs of the two boys. Henry was dressed in his school uniform still; no doubt having just gotten out of his supplementary classes for his future in computer programming and researching the digital world. Hanging off his shoulder, long ear-like appendages acting like arms that held him in place, was his digimon partner known as Terriermon. Cream-furred and with a smart-alecky mouth that stood in stark contrast to Henry's logical, mindful brilliance. The two could not get any more opposite.

Takato and Guilmon – the latter of whom was a crimson-scaled dinosaur with a hazard sign emblazoned on his white belly – were a little more informal in their appearance compared to Henry, no doubt doing their best to enjoy what summer they had before school officially started up again. Looped around the boy's neck was a pair of yellow-rimmed goggles that he first strapped to his head when he was twelve. The same pair of goggles that had earned him the first derisive, and then later affectionate, nickname of…

"Gogglehead!" she called out with her smile blooming widely across her face, and at once both boys and Guilmon stopped in their tracks. Terriermon's ears rose up as they turned around.

"Hey, it's Rika!"

"Hey!" everyone greeted while Guilmon scampered on over to the girl, quickly bumping his face against her leg in a show of affection. Rika allowed it, and even dropped her hand in front of his nose so he could take in her scent. Smells, she knew from long experience, were very important to him when it came to saying hello.

"Hey, boys," she smiled, scratching at Guilmon's ears. "What's up?"

"Oh, this and that," Henry replied.

Rika smirked. _"This and that? _What, are you two on a date or something?"

"Ah, jeez…" Takato laughed at Rika's joke. "That again? No, we just ran into each other going home. Not really a whole lot to report on. How about you?"

Rika paused, her lips coming together tightly. Snuffling, Guilmon drew back, looking up at her with concern as her scent suddenly changed.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said flatly, her mood souring quickly once more.

"Sure doesn't look like nothing," Terriermon observed, his dark with a knowing smirk, round eyes taking note of her halter top. "You look dressed for a little more than Henry's 'this and that.' Did _you_ have a bad date or something?"

"I _don't _date," Rika glowered, to which Terriermon raised his tiny paws defensively.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything. Sheesh! Momentai already, would you?"

"I'm not in the _mood _for that," Rika shot back, crossing her arms together. Terriermon looked over at Takato for help.

"Oh boy… Takatomon. Looks like it's time for you to make use of some of that charm of yours…"

"Huh-wha…?!" Takato gaped in surprise. "Charm?"

"Yeah, charm!" Terriermon chirped. "You know. The charm where you make her mad at you instead of me. It never fails!"

"I think you mean a 'distraction,'" Henry laughed, giving his partner a light tap on the head.

"It's Takato! What's the difference? Well, at least where Rika's concerned anyway. We know how much she likes it when he gets her attention."

"D-Don't be ridiculous…" Takato stammered out, shifting his hold on the bag of groceries he had in his arms. Terriermon giggled.

"You can keep denying it all you want, Takato, but it doesn't change the fact that you have charm."

"Too bad for you his 'charm' won't take this time," Rika said, making her way next to the goggle-wearing boy, giving the nervous boy a thoughtful look. "Though the thought's appreciated."

"Ah…" Terriermon looked at her in utter confusion. "That's…not normally how this is supposed to go. Something must have really gone off for you today."

Rika shifted her arms, and for the briefest of moments, Takato caught sight of her bruised hand and blinked.

"Rika…?"

"Look, can we just change the subject?" she interrupted. "I'd…rather not talk about my day."

"Why don't we talk about bread, instead?" Guilmon prompted in an attempt to be helpful. "That always makes me happy after I've had a bad day."

"That's because you have a one-track mind," Terriermon quipped. "Or rather a one-track stomach."

"And _you _don't?"

"Momentai, Henry! Besides, Guilmon makes a pretty good point for once. Eating food _always _eats up a bad day, so why not give it a shot?"

"How about not?" Rika shifted in place again. "Look, I appreciate everyone's concern, but I don't want to turn this into one big pity party. Thanks for trying, but I think I'd better be going. Catch you later."

At this, Rika turned away and headed off, leaving her friends very confused and worried.

"Um…Renamon…?" Takato began, looking over at the vulpine digimon as she appeared from out of thin air, only to receive a shake of her head before vanishing from view. "Oh… Well, so much for that."

"Did you expect anything else?" Terriermon asked. "Those two are always clammed up it's amazing we can ever get them to say anything."

"Too bad we can't get them to teach you that trick," joked Henry.

"Henryyy…!" Terriermon planted his tiny paws on his hips indignantly. "That was _definitely _rude!"

"Since when did Terriermon digivolve into a Potmon?" Guilmon asked, tapping a claw on his chin questioningly, earning him a laugh from Henry while Terriermon huffed and puffed in frustration at being made fun of. Takato payed them no attention though, his eyes, soft and watching Rika's retreating back uneasily before turning away, sighing.

"Hey, are you okay, Takato?" Henry asked. Takato shrugged.

"I guess so. It's just… I get worried whenever Rika's upset about something. I really wish she'd tell us whatever it was that bothered her. Did you see that huge bruise on her hand?"

"I told you that you should have used your charm on her," Terriermon said. "That would have made her feel better. Or, you know. Focus on something else."

"Terriermon…" Henry shook his head and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Look, you know how she is. If she wants to talk, she will, when she's ready. And if she doesn't, that's fine, just as long as she knows that we're there for her when she needs us."

"I know," Takato agreed. "But…you know how I am too. I always feel like I've got to do something to try and make things better. I know it makes her mad, but…" He trailed off, unable to find the right words to express what he was feeling. Henry gave his shoulder a soft squeeze before drawing back.

"Momentai, Takato. I'm sure she understands. She's always saying it's one of the things she likes about you, even when it annoys her. She always knows you'll have her back."

"And it's _quite _the back," Terriermon chimed in, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Are you sure she's telling the truth about not dating? I know it's hot, but I haven't seen her in a getup like that in _years!"_

"Terriermon…" Henry sighed.

"She didn't smell like she was dating," Guilmon spoke up, earning him a surprised look from the others.

"Wha…?" Terriermon's mouth fell open. "How the heck do _you _know what dating smells like? Wait, how does dating even have a smell?"

"Because Takato and Jeri used to have all kinds of funny smells on them back when they used to date. Rika didn't smell like any of that."

"Oh… Perfume." Terriermon's ears drooped, seemingly disappointed by such a pedestrian answer. "Guilmon, I don't think Rika would wear perfume to save her life."

"No, it wasn't perfume. I mean, it was, but there was another smell too. Rika's smelled that way a few times before too, but…" He paused, frowning. "…never when she would be on a date. It was always whenever Takato and I went to see her."

"Always whenever you and Takato went to see her? What do you…? Ohhh…"

"Ah…what are we talking about now?" Takato asked, utterly perplexed, and embarrassed by the notion that he smelled like _anything _whenever he had dated Jeri. Terriermon, seeming to have put two and two together, simply giggled and smirked at the teen.

"Oh, just your charm."

"Oookaaay…"

Sighing once more, Henry bopped his partner on the head. "Terriermon…"

**###**

Thunder boomed outside the bakery as Takato took some time to restock. He didn't hurry and even his parents were taking a bit of an extended break from the business to relax. The rain was starting to come down in buckets which would cut into business. Indeed, their normal custom had declined even before the storm burst. The news had been reporting that the rain would likely come today, so people were taking care to find a dry place to wait it out.

_I hope Rika's doing okay, _he thought, piling the bread buns together. His thoughts had been drifting over to her ever since their brief encounter in the park, worrying about her in spite of her desire that he do the precise opposite.

_It's hard not to worry, especially after seeing that bruise on her hand. Did she hit someone? _He tried to think of what someone would have to do to make her _that _mad. As far as he knew, only their mutual friend Kazu had ever managed to annoy her to that level of anger and that had been years ago during their first trip to the digital world. Kazu had been in a more annoying phase of his life at the time, always talking, never being quiet, and doing just about everything he could to insult everyone around him while the two of them plus their other friend Kenta were separated from the rest of the group in a strange, hostile world. Between that and Rika's legendary temper, there was no way that she wouldn't have snapped eventually.

_Well, there was that one time where some guy on the subway grabbed her butt, _he added mentally. Instinctively, his hand tightened around the tongs he was using and he felt a flash of anger.

_That…didn't happen again, did it?_

Another crash of thunder echoed outside, and Takato felt a small vibration in the store. Looking up, he took in the shower as it pelted the streets outside. As he did so, he spotted a flash of red hair racing by, seemingly summoned by his thoughts.

Before he knew what was happening, he darted out the door of the bakery.

_"Rika!" _he called out, and at once caught her attention.

**###**

Rika whirled about at the voice, the puddle splashing her as she did so. _Was that Takato? _Sure enough, there he was, standing in the entrance to his parents' bakery, decked out in his apron and bandana, flagging her down. _When did I end up in his neck of the woods?_

Feeling that she had gotten turned around in her travels at some point, she decided to throw such questions to the wind and ran toward her friend, mentally calling on Renamon as she did so. The yellow-furred fox-digimon materialized by her side, her coat surprisingly waterlogged, and together they dashed inside, the door closing shut behind them.

"Thanks," Rika said, hugging her bare arms around herself as water dripped off both herself and Renamon, pooling on the floor beneath them.

"No problem," Takato smiled. "Man, you guys are soaked."

"Observant as always, Gogglehead." Rika rolled her eyes before starting to shiver. The air conditioning was on in the store, and it was not mixing well with her current condition. Seeing this, Takato swiftly took off his apron and draped it around her before indicating the back of the store with a jerk of his head.

"Come on. We've got some spare work clothes you can wear. We can throw the rest into the drier for you. Guilmon!"

"Hah?" The crimson dinosaur poked his head out from the baking section. "Renamon! Rika!"

"Hey, Dinoboy," Rika greeted while Renamon, still dripping heavily, bowed her head politely. "Sorry for the mess."

"Get the hair drier for Renamon, boy," Takato said, leading Rika out of the store. "She needs it, pronto!"

"You got it!"

"And a couple towels!" Takato called after the dinosaur as he hurried up the stairs toward the living section of the bakery. Approaching the oven, he pulled it down slightly so as to allow some heat to bake out of it. "Come on, warm yourselves up."

Rika, who had at this point just been going with the flow, settled herself down in front of the stove, watching Takato as he busily began to route through cabinets where they normally stored backup work clothes, searching for something she could wear. It didn't take long for Guilmon to come downstairs bearing a couple of towels. Smiling gratefully, the pair took them and immediately set about drying themselves off.

"Thank you," Renamon replied with another polite bow.

"No problem!" Guilmon beamed happily. "Anything for you, Renamon! And you too, Rika!"

"Thanks." Rika gave the dinosaur a small smile as her skin prickled at the combined heat from the oven and soft fabric as they chased the chill away from her body. Reaching up to her ponytail, she undid the tie, allowing her hair to fall down to her shoulders in a thick, matted clot that she immediately began to rub down.

"Here we go," Takato piped up, closing a cabinet and presenting Rika with a blue-colored shirt with a smiley face on it. "Sorry it's not much, but…"

"It's fine." Rika's smile grew in response as she accepted the shirt and threw it on over her halter top. Seeing Takato's raised eyebrow, she looked at him curiously. "What? There wasn't much to get soaked on my end." A pause, and then her smile took on a devilish appearance. "Or were you hoping for some kind of show?"

Bright red bloomed across Takato's face at her insinuation and he immediately began floundering.

"N-No! Not at… Jeez… Rika… I just thought…"

"Chill, Gogglehead," she soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder and patting it reassuringly. "You know I'm just having some fun."

The girl giggled. As much as she hated to admit it, she loved it when Takato became embarrassed by her teasing. It had first annoyed her a great deal when they initially knew each other and hadn't been friends, and even more so when they began to enter puberty, but over time she found that Takato's embarrassed antics had a tendency to release some of the pressure she felt.

_At least when done deliberately, _she thought, remembering how she had to learn to navigate his particular waters so as to not accidently set him off and, in so doing, embarrass herself as well.

_They're still difficult waters, too, _she thought.

"Well, as long as it puts a smile on your face, I'm more than happy to oblige." Takato gave an uncertain laugh. Rika's expression darkened at that, and Takato looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry. I was just…"

"Don't. Just…_don't, _okay?" Letting the towel fall about her shoulders, Rika brushed at her hair, looking about the kitchen. "I know you mean well, but I already said that I don't want to talk about it."

"Right." Takato bit his lower lip before looking about. "I…ah… Why don't you stay here and get warm? I need to mop up out front and put out a wet floor sign. Oh! Guilmon, where's that hair drier?"

"Your mom is using it," Guilmon explained. "She was taking a shower and I didn't want to barge in on her."

"Not to worry, this is fine for now," Renamon said, taking up the mop and its bucket from by the corner. "Why don't I clean up my little mess? It's the least I can do for your helping us with shelter."

"Oh, it's okay," Takato began. "I can…"

"I _insist."_

Takato blinked. Something in Renamon's words drew him up short, and seeing that he had ceased arguing, Renamon drew back the curtain dividing the baking area from the store and left the two Tamers alone.

"Guilmon, why don't you come with me?" she called over her shoulder. "You can help me with the hair drier once Mrs. Matsuki is done."

"Haaah?!" Guilmon's eyes went wide and bright with surprise and joy. Throwing his arms up into the air, he quickly raced after her. "I get to brush Renamon! Yaaay!"

"Jeez, you'd think he was playing with a stupid doll or something," Rika frowned before looking back at Takato. "So how long is this stupid storm supposed to last, anyway? Do you know?"

"The weather channel said it might go on until around the start of evening," Takato replied, scratching his head at Renamon's odd insistence on giving the two of them some private space. "Sooo…we have a lot of time to kill."

"Terrific."

"Hey, if you want to borrow my umbrella…"

"No, it's fine. I…" Rika paused, her eyes narrowing in consideration. Her mouth was tight, as if she were struggling with something, but after a moment, she resumed. "Actually, this might sound weird, but I could use something more constructive to do than just wandering around and being mad. You don't happen to have more bread that needs to be baked, do you?"

"Oh! Ah…" Takato looked about him as though the kitchen would tell him the answer. With the slower business, there wasn't much need for baking, but at the same time he didn't want Rika to be bored out of her mind for the next few hours and they _were _going to need some dough made up for tomorrow anyway. "Yeah," he said finally. "You still remember how to make the Guilmon Bread?"

Rika arched an eyebrow at him. She helped out from time to time whenever she got bored enough for it or wanted to get Takato out of work in a quick manner. She knew the recipes well enough now, so it sounded odd to her that Takato would even feel the need to ask.

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Just making sure," Takato grinned, making his way over to the central island and pulling out a bag of flour. Tying on the apron Takato had lent her, Rika snatched up a bandana and wrapped it around her hair. Before too long she was mixing together a fresh batch of dough, losing herself in the work. Takato didn't press her with any questions and only helped when asked. Seeing that she was now occupied, he stepped out to check on the front store.

"Uh…anybody here?" he called, not seeing Renamon or Guilmon anywhere nearby. The 'wet floor' sign was out though, and the floor had been properly mopped. Silence reigned save for the sound of rainfall outside, and Takato found himself feeling strangely alone in the bakery.

_Man… _he thought, taking a quick tour of his surroundings, making a note of all their baked goods and checking to see that nothing had been misplaced or had gone missing while he had been in the back. Just as before, his thoughts drifted over to Rika, wondering what happened to her earlier that day. The sight of her bruised hand stood out prominently in his mind, but as long as she refused to talk about it there was little he could do except his best to make her stay as nice as possible.

_But what can I do? _he wondered. _If I try to help, I'll only make things worse._

Henry's words from earlier came to mind. Just her knowing that he wanted to help her was enough because she knew that he would have her back. Yet, even with that, it didn't feel as though it were enough.

_I can't just take a backseat every time she's in trouble…_

The sound of steps broke his thoughts up. Turning, he saw his father stepping out from behind the curtain.

"Hey, Takato. Still slow, huh?"

"Yeah," the teen nodded. "That downpour is really keeping everyone away. Oh! Rika's here, by the way. She said she wanted to help out while she waited out the rain, so she's making up some more bread dough for tomorrow."

"I thought that was the case when I saw Guilmon drying off Renamon with the hair drier," Takehiro grinned. "That's awfully nice of her. If the two of you want to hang out, go right ahead. I'm all done with my break, so you don't need to be out here anymore."

"Thanks Dad." Takato bowed his head politely before hesitating. Takehiro lifted an eyebrow.

"Something the matter, son?"

"Oh…just…kinda personal stuff." Takato looked back at the curtain, his eyes softening. "It's nothing to worry about."

Takehiro followed Takato's gaze.

"Nothing to worry about, huh?" he asked. Takato swallowed.

"Y-Yeah. I mean, at least I hope so. I…Sorry. I can't talk about it."

Hearing this, Takehiro's expression became sympathetic. "I understand. One of _those _things, huh? Say no more."

Takato scrunched his face up, wondering what his dad was taking away from what little information he gave him.

He was soon proven more or less right.

"She sure spends a lot of time around here, sometimes helping out or just hanging out," Takehiro continued. "It says a lot about how much she trusts you, even with all the differences the two of you have. That's something really special. Kind of reminds me of when your mom and I started courting."

"Ahhh…" A blush lit up on Takato's face just then. "Are you saying…Rika and me…?" He pointed at himself and then in the direction of the kitchen. Takehiro gave a laugh.

"Hm? Oh. Sorry if I'm getting you mixed up. I was just saying that your mother and I had our own little ways of showing each other how we felt when most people would just give flowers or giri. It's something like that. Little ways of talking without talking. Like, whenever she was sick, I would write her a poem to go with her soup. When I was having a hard time with my studies, she made me a pair of socks that didn't fit…" His eyes became distant at the memory. "Those little socks were her marriage proposal you know. Took me a little while to figure it out. She was so mad at me for being so slow about that, but for some reason she still kept me."

"That's because you had that winning smile that I could never say no to," came Mie's voice as she stepped into store, knuckling her back. "Still no one around?"

"Yeah, it's been pretty slow today."

"We should probably consider closing up early then." Mie planted a hand on her hip before looking at Takato curiously. "Oh, for goodness sake Takato. Guilmon's upstairs with his friend, why aren't you with yours? That poor girl looks so lonely!"

"Sorry. I kind of distracted him," apologized Takehiro. "Go on, Takato. We've got this covered."

"R-Right." With that, Takato ducked back into the kitchen, finding Rika still hard at work with the bread dough with a single large piece already finished and set aside to rise. 'Hard' indeed, as she was working roughly with the dough, her expression a knot of anger.

_She's not punching it yet though, so that's a good sign…_

"Hey," he greeted, approaching the center island. Looking up, Rika gave him a light grunt in return before flipping over the dough and pressing her fist down on it.

_Although it does look like she's working her way up to punching it… _

That feeling of needing to do something to help her – to get her to talk about whatever was bothering her – rose up once more, but he tempered it back, knowing that she would only respond with hostility at this point.

_Looks like we have our own little way of talking without talking, _he thought. _I guess that's something I've got to work on._

His expression softening, he took out some flour from the flour bag and proceeded to sprinkle it on the table. Reaching into the bowl, he took out some dough and placed it on the flour. Rika paused, eyeing him suspiciously before resuming her work, grinding her knuckles deep into the soft, pillow-like substance. In the silence, the two of them lost themselves in the rhythm of their work, leaving only the sound of distant thunder to break up the silence of the kitchen.

"I'm not knitting you any socks just so you know," she said after some time, causing Takato to jerk in place, completely taken aback by her remark.

"Hu-wha…? What…?"

"What your dad was saying to you." She fixed him with a hard look and Takato reeled his memory back into place.

"Y-You heard that?"

"You're right outside. Of course, I'm going to hear it."

"I…I wouldn't expect you to do something like that," he said, hoping to keep her anger in check all the while wondering why his father's remark seemed to be bothering her.

"Good," Rika remarked swiftly, piling the dough back together before pressing down on it once more. "Because there's just no way…." She grunted, somehow feeling even angrier than before by his response. "…that I would."

"Um… Okay." Feeling no less confused than before, they went back to work. Time passed, and with it the number of finished dough grew, but with each one, Rika worked more fiercely than before.

"Stupid dough," she grumbled, the bread dough in question now starting to resist her efforts to make it do what she wanted. It tore in some places and stuck in others, seeming to completely ignore her and the flour now.

"Having a bit of trouble, Rika?"

"No! I'm just…" Growling in utter frustration, she lifted her fist and punched _hard _on the dough, causing Takato to jump in surprise as the table shook violently.

"Rika! Why are you…?" he began, only to stop once he saw her double up around her fist – the same one that had been bruised – her teeth clenching against one another in pain. Hurrying around the table, he took hold of her hand, only for her to snatch it away from him.

"Hey! I'm just trying to help!"

"Well, take your help somewhere else, Gogglehead!" she snapped, only for regret to flash visibly across her face. Glancing away, she grimaced. "This…This isn't a big deal."

Takato pressed his lips together before reaching out once more. "Can I just at least make sure? Please?" he asked. "I promise not to do any more if you don't want me to. I just… You hit the table pretty hard." He glanced down at the spot where she had struck the dough, and his lips quivered, wanting to laugh. "Maybe I should check the table instead to make sure you didn't break it."

"Oh, _very _funny, Takato," flexing her fingers. They moved stiffly and after a moment she held her hand out for her friend. "Here. You…You can look. Just…don't freak out or anything, okay?"

"Okay," Takato promised. Taking hold of her hand, he felt about, applying pressure just lightly enough to see if he could detect any grinding of broken bones. The skin was still slightly swollen and dark, and Rika winced as he worked, but otherwise she seemed all right.

"Looks like a clean bill of health," he reported. "Though I should probably get you an icepack."

"I'll be _fine._ You can let go of my hand now."

"Sorry," Takato let her go, smiling at her. "You know, don't take this the wrong way, but you are kind of forgetting what you learned about working with bread dough. Trying to beat it up isn't the answer. You have to work with it."

"I know. I just…" She paused, running a tongue over her lips, her brow furrowing in agitation.

"Just what?" Takato prompted before remembering that Rika wasn't the sort to talk to him about her problems. Yet, he let the question hang there, and Rika gazed down in the direction of the store's front section.

"It's nothing," she finished, sliding away from him and returning to her work.

"The table sure didn't think it was nothing," Takato pointed out. "I'm pretty sure if that were my head, I'd have quite the bump."

"Then maybe I could call you something other than _Gogglehead _for a change. I'd make sure to write it out as a haiku to go along with some soup to help you get better."

"Man, I'm starting to think you were eavesdropping instead of Dad just being really loud."

Rika _harrumphed _at that, but her eyes were thoughtful as she resumed rolling the dough, this time taking extra care so as to not lose herself to her frustrations.

"It's not like I care about your parents' happy, lovey-doveyness," she said with a touch of ice to her voice before instantly regretting it. She paused and looked over at Takato, who watched her curiously. "Sorry," she said in a hushed voice, looking away. "I guess… When I get like this, seeing other people happy just…adds fuel to the fire. Renamon was even telling me earlier that you guys were a lot like family to me and I…this…isn't how families are supposed to treat one another."

She blinked back some tears, and cursed herself for their presence. "And no," she sniffed. "Before you even start asking, I _didn't _get into a fight with my mom and grandma. _We're _fine."

"Oh. Okay," Takato said, not at all sure what else there was to say. Approaching her, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she stiffened at his touch. Takato didn't retract his hand though in spite of every fiber of his being screaming at him to do so for fear of suffering under Rika's wrath. "W-Well…" he began carefully as she studiously avoided his gaze. "Either way, I'm fine with you being family. I mean, you're already my best friend, so…why not?"

Rika gaze swung toward him now as he nervously trailed off, her violet eyes meeting his crimson ones. After a moment, she began to relax ever so slightly under his touch, and a small, pained smirk crossed her features and she looked away, blushing.

"Sometimes I hate you," she said softly, though betraying an odd touch of fondness in her voice. Takato grinned awkwardly at this.

"If this is what you hating someone feels like, then should I be worried about l-love?"

That last word staggered out of his mouth and Takato instantly regretted it, especially once Rika's expression swiftly changed, becoming neutral and stiff once more. He felt the tension return to her shoulder, yet he didn't remove his hand. Didn't _dare _to.

"Love…" she muttered under her breath, almost sounding annoyed before looking at him once more, this time more fully, her eyes suddenly commanding his full attention. "Hey. Tell me something. Do… Do you ever think about getting married?"

"M-Married?" Takato blinked once. Then twice, and heat rose up across his face. Of all the questions he expected to be thrown at him, especially by Rika of all people, this was by far the least expected. Yet, he could see that she was serious. Coughing, he fought his nerves down so he could answer her to the best of his ability. She deserved nothing but his best. "I-I mean…yeah. Yeah, sometimes. Doesn't…Doesn't everyone?"

"When you were going out with Jeri, did you ever think about marrying her?"

Takato's blush darkened, but the memory of his short relationship with Jeri sobered him. Although they remained good friends and saw each other regularly, this was something that still hurt to think about.

Still, Rika he felt deserved the truth.

"Yeah," he admitted. "I did." Running his fingers through his hair, he drew his hand from her shoulder and sighed. "I really fell hard for her. I thought…kind of imagined what life for us would be like in the future, but…like I told you, I messed that up."

Rika kept her expression neutral. Takato and Jeri's breakup from three years ago hadn't been bad or anything as they remained good friends, but it was still something that pained Takato, and with good reason as it was a strong reminder of one of his biggest faults and what it cost him – that he felt compelled to do something to solve his friend's problems. In his desire to help her move past what the D-Reaper had done to her and the loss of her own digimon partner, Leomon, he wound up treating her like glass. It was a lesson well-learned, but learned far too late.

"Yeah," Rika said softly, crossing her arms together. "You showed her too much love. She probably couldn't see a future with you because of that." Leaning back against the counter behind her, she looked down at the floor. "Is that better though? Better than marrying someone who doesn't love you at all?"

Memories from their earlier encounter flitted through Takato's mind and with it came Terriermon's observation of her being 'dressed up' as though for a date. Rika had never shown much of any interest in dating and, instead, seemed quite content with hanging out with him whenever she had some free time. So much so in fact, he and Rika had been teased about being in a 'relationship' by Kazu and Terriermon, but nothing ever seemed to come out of it except Rika's anger.

Was there something more to this question? It was such an odd one to bring up, and he couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to put something like marriage on her mind.

The bruise on her hand and her desire to punch something seemed like a clue. A very solid one.

"I…don't know," Takato said, scratching at his cheek idly while he pushed aside the odd, panicky feeling that was starting to form in his stomach. "But I do know I wouldn't want to marry someone who didn't love me. Who didn't really want to spend the rest of their life with me. It just wouldn't feel right. I don't think it'd be fair to the other person either. That's how I feel at least."

They both stood there in silence, another rumble of thunder reverberating through the bakery while, upstairs, Guilmon could be heard laughing up a storm of his own. Takato looked up at the ceiling, frowning slightly.

"You know, I didn't think he would have so much fun drying out Renamon's fur."

"Dinoboy will find _anything _fun if it involves food or Renamon," Rika _hmphed, _pushing away from the counter and returning to the table. "Come on. We'd better finish this up before he trips a line or something and the lights go out."

"Knowing our luck, that'd probably happen," Takato laughed, joining her.

**###**

The rain finally began to die down, and Rika, with nothing more to tie her to the bakery and knowing that her mother would likely be worrying about her, stood at the side door, ready to go with Renamon, her fur nice and glossy looking once more. Guilmon, it seemed, had an unusual talent for drying and brushing fur, much to Renamon's delight.

"You're _sure _you won't mind me borrowing your umbrella," she said, to which Takato nodded.

"It's no big deal. I've got an old one I can use anyway."

"An old one that has a hole in it, if I remember right," Rika pointed out. Takato laughed in embarrassment, but shrugged.

"Really, don't worry about it. It's not like you'll be keeping it forever anyway. It's what friends do."

"Friends…" Rika gave Takato an odd look before smirking. "Well, friends or family, you're not bad, Gogglehead. I…" She looked down briefly at the umbrella in her hand before returning her gaze to him. "I'm glad that I know you, Takato. I know I'm hard to get along with a lot of the time but…" She paused, feeling some heat rising in her cheeks as she said this, finding it suddenly difficult. Groaning, she fought to say something…_anything _that wouldn't come out as stupid sounding or sappy. Something that would at least encapsulate how she felt about him. She thought back to earlier in the day when that boy's mother attempted to persuade her into marrying her son. She felt a sudden, sharp fear stab into her heart; a fear that she had almost lost something with regards to the boy in front of her, and she found herself clinging ever more tightly to that feeling she had for Takato, not wanting to lose it no matter what. He needed to know…

_A Tamer never walks away from danger…_

Finally, deciding to just take the plunge rather than worry about it – her friendship with Takato demanded she do no less – she looked him right in the eye.

"I wouldn't mind spending my whole life with you."

At that, both teens began to blush furiously, their skin burning bright red at the insinuation of Rika's words.

"Rika…?" began Takato softly, only for the girl to interrupt him.

"Don't go getting all mushy on me, Takato." She fought the urge to shift, half cursing herself for being so bold. Yet, she found that she couldn't regret what she said. What was more, it felt as though she found something that she had wanted but hadn't realized before. "I…I mean it though," she continued, and she found the words much easier this time, as though a burden had been lifted. "I don't mind spending my life with you. But that's only _if_ it's what you want to."

Not even waiting for his response, her hand scrambled for the door and she yanked it open. She got only partway outside before Takato called out to her.

"Rika, wait! About what you said…"

Rika felt her heart slam against her ribcage at that. She didn't want an answer this soon! She needed to shut him down!

"Movies next Saturday!" she called back, slamming the door shut behind her. "And that's only if you want to!"

With that, she darted out of the alleyway and began to run down the street toward home, leaving a befuddled and confused Takato standing in the hallway with Guilmon and Renamon behind him.

"Ah… Did…that just happen?" Takato asked.

"If you mean getting proposed to and asked out on a date at the same time," Renamon replied, "then yes. That seems to be the case." She looked down at Takato questioningly. "Is that what you were expecting?"

Takato's mouth worked, trying to find the words, but he ended up coming away looking like a fish gasping for air.

"I… Yes?" he said finally. Renamon gave a light laugh and opened the door.

"Then I guess we'll see you next Saturday."

With that, she vanished from view, and the door closed behind her.

**###**

A/N: This is something of a rough draft for an idea after reading a brief post on Tumblr that discussed the idea of arranged marriages amongst wealthy and elite families in Japan. This is in no way meant to be taken as an accurate example of how a marriage interview or even an arranged marriage would appear, but more just ideas that I threw together quickly over the course of a day and a half as a sounding board, especially since marriage is a topic I haven't yet covered in my writings for this pairing. Good? Bad? All critiques are welcome. Until next time. :D

-Crazyeight

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